We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

 

Rating: 15
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Screenplay: Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear.
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Starring: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller.

Ezra Miller isn’t a household name yet, but his performance as the psychopathic teenager Kevin Khatchadourian warns the film industry that his movie-making journey is only just beginning.
Lynne Ramsay cleverly directs this chilling psychological thriller, adapted from the ground-breaking novel (Lionel Shriver) telling the tale of gutsy Eva Khatchadourian  - a flawless performance from Tilda Swinton - and her struggles to love her strange child as he grows to become a young man capable of terrible things.
I’m glad to see that this isn’t one of those corny movies when the character has to say the name of the title during the film to get it to work. This is quite the opposite. The main character in this film doesn’t have to say practically anything to get this movie to work. It just works.
With its eerie silences, gasp-worthy moments and mind-boggling twists and turns, you certainly will need to talk about Kevin as you chew your nails wondering when and what Kevin’s most unimaginable final act will be.
If you like movies with a lot of dialogue, this movie certainly doesn’t fit the brief – (as my Dad said, “the script writer had an easy job on this one”) – but it’s a whole lot more than that. A haunting visual and dragged out music note can summarise a whole plot more than any one-liner can, and let me tell you, in this case, We Need To Talk About Kevin is the epitome of a job well done.
This is not a movie to watch with your friends on a night in, or to snuggle up on the couch with when you’re nursing a hangover. It’s a tricky one, so watch it by yourself. It’s okay to be anti-social, so shut your blinds and turn out the lights. Grab a bag of Doritos (though you’ll stop eating them mid-bite) and switch off your phone. Then, prepare to be blown away.
Oh, but don’t watch it if you’re pregnant, because if any movie can dissuade you from reproducing in fear of creating a demon child, then this one can.